


Sempiternal

by ariririsu



Series: ASL Brothers: A Modern Universe [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: ASL Brothers, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Family, Feedback is appreciated!, M/M, Mostly Gen, Multi, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Short Stories, i edited it now though!!, oh jeez i made a huge mistake, slight romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 00:45:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9692207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariririsu/pseuds/ariririsu
Summary: An ephemeral moment can seem like a moment of eternity. These moments are collected, sometimes buried deep within the mind, but they never go away. This is a collection of short narratives about an unlikely trio of brothers and the ineffable love they have for each other.





	1. Choice

**Author's Note:**

> These are mostly un-beta'd, so forgive me for the mistakes! I'm sure there's a lot, haha. 
> 
> This is kind of a small project I'm trying to invest in. So, please enjoy!

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Perhaps it was the feeling of moonlight on his skin. Or maybe it was the familiar snores, simultaneously loud and quiet, that surrounded the still home. Sabo didn't know what it was that caused him to wake up in the silence of the night, but this was not a new occurrence. Every time, he woke up with an indescribable emotion making it harder to get back to sleep. During these nights, reminiscing was a better choice than getting a glass of water.

Despite his young age, Sabo never had to depend on anyone else other than himself back then. The feeling of freedom felt euphoric— being able to choose and think for himself, control resting in the palm of his hand... it was a feeling he never wanted to forget.

Still, sometimes he would stop and contemplate about the occasional tightness in his chest when he saw families or friends in the city enjoying their time together despite having nothing else other than each other. He would often stay hidden within the leaves of a tree and stare at the moon and stars, brooding at the constant reminder that he was alone as a child living in a harsh world.

Sabo looks outside of the window and stares at the moon shining luminously. So much has changed since then. The tiny sting of cold metal enclosing around his neck and his right ring finger is proof that forever is a vow that can't be broken. Sabo looks down to stare at the sleeping forms of his brothers curling close to him for warmth. An achingly sweet smile lights his features as he easily spots identical chains and rings around his brothers' necks.

It's easy to say that things were perfect the way they are. And it might be so, with the way Sabo gently brushes his fingers against Ace's hair and tenderly intertwines his fingers with Luffy's. For every night he wakes up like this, he could not help but ask himself and the world, how did he deserve them?

However, Sabo ends his thoughts there, thinking that maybe it's not because of that. And so, he smiles once more and lightly kisses Ace's and Luffy's foreheads before closing his eyes.

It's because they chose to be together whether or not the world thinks they deserve it. Because no matter the circumstance, at the end of the day, they will always return to each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this scene, Sabo is 16 along with Ace while Luffy is 13.


	2. Caring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day!

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The door slams shut and it leaves the small apartment rattling. The sound echoes over and over again, taunting Luffy as he stands in silence, agitated and ashamed. For what seemed like hours on end, Luffy stands there waiting for the door to open back up, but it doesn't.

He looks down and clenches his fist, refusing to show vulnerability; however, he knows it's all in vain. A presence approaches behind him and he knows that there's no point in hiding his feelings. Luffy turns around to face Sabo with hurt evident in his expression. His older brother only smiles softly and pulls him in a hug. Luffy immediately relaxes in his hold as they stay that way for a while.

"It's not often that he storms out like that," Sabo breaks the silence, still holding Luffy against his chest and being mindful of Luffy's arm cast. "He's never done something like that to me y'know, even when I got hurt. You're lucky!" He laughs, seemingly attempting to lighten the mood. It doesn't work. Luffy remains pliant and silent— quite a big deal considering he's the very definition of loudness and radiance.

Luffy knows it too, but sometimes it's hard to deal with someone who acts like they resent your entire being. 

"It's just... so hard to know what's going on in that head of his!" Luffy mumbles, thinking how unfair it was of Ace to take it out on him. In agreement, Sabo doesn't answer with words and instead caresses Luffy's hair. 

"He'll never admit to saying it, but he really likes you Luffy," Sabo comforts him with a grin and a few seconds of hair ruffling. "Ace is just... a sore loser when it comes to expressing his feelings. Give it a year or two and he'll soften up!"

Luffy lifts his head up with a widening smile and nods, signs of renewal showing in his chocolate brown eyes.

"After all, it took me less than a day to like you!"

He and Sabo share a moment of laughter, basking in each other's presence as much as they could. 

"Now go get that knucklehead before he does something stupid, Lu."

Luffy laughs again and pulls Sabo's face down to kiss his cheek. "Thanks Sabo!"

He runs out of the door, not even seeing the surprised yet fond look splattered on Sabo's reddening face.

It'll take a while, but Luffy isn't going to give up! Because if Ace needed more love as Sabo once said, who better than Luffy would be able to give it to him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this scene, Luffy is 10 while Sabo and Ace are 13.


	3. Coming Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part one.

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During this time of the year, city buildings were usually seen with red or pink posters promoting businesses. Food such as chocolates, cakes, and sweets are almost always sold out at the end of each business day. Flower shops, restaurants, and hotels gain more customers during this time, which make for good money. February, unlike what many people say, is just as busy as January. It's why Ace always looked forward to March.

A small smile forms on his face as he turns the car engine off, remembering an event from two weeks before.

He'll never forget Luffy's excitement during Sanji's birthday. Thatch and the other Whitebeard cooks teamed up to cater the best food possible to celebrate the his 20th birthday. But somehow, the memory shifts to two weeks before that day and a wave of embarrassment sent him shivering on his driveway.

It's been a month since Ace had the most embarrassing, chaotic, and humiliating experience of his life. Not only was it planned against him, but Sabo had told _Luffy_ out of all people! And then it went spiralling out of control from there.

Sabo captured every single expression and moment when Ace's coworkers came along with Luffy to surprise him. Ace wasn't able to delete the file no matter how hard he tried to pry the camera out of Sabo's fingers— he swears, they're made out of _iron_! He remembered being more than ready to wrestle Sabo to the ground where he could at least have a small chance at stealing the camera. The only reason why he didn't was because Luffy dragged him away to his coworkers before he could even jump at Sabo.

When he unlocks the apartment door and opens it, Ace notices a small change. There aren't any noises coming from the kitchen, although there's a heavenly smell wafting around— there isn't even a body slamming into him as he steps inside to take his shoes off. He stands there waiting for a minute with a bewildered expression before walking down the hall.

Both his brothers were usually always home by the time he comes back from work during Friday afternoons.

He shrugs and pays no mind to this, walking past the living area to get to his room. But, he pauses when he sees something at the corner of his eyes.

The sight of Luffy and Sabo innocently curled together sleeping on the couch makes Ace sigh, while a vein ticks on his forehead in disbelief as he tries to approach the two without surprising them awake. What a drag, he thinks while shuffling a mixed bouquet of white flowers and a large box labelled with a logo of the Baratie on one arm.

However, Ace completely freezes when he hears Sabo mumble his name as Luffy buries his face into the crook of the blond's neck with an incomprehensible gurgle of what sounded like meat. A smile trembles on Ace's face while he tries not to laugh. He puts the bouquet and the box on the coffee table and pulls out his phone.

A few clicks sounded in the new apartment as Ace takes a couple of pictures. Then, he carefully sits down to Luffy's left. It takes him five minutes to get comfortable without waking both of them, but he successfully wraps an arm across his brothers once sure that they wouldn't wake up. He falls asleep with a small smile on his face— happy to just find his brothers waiting for him, lulled to sleep by the quiet murmur of the television within the comfort of their home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this scene, Ace and Sabo are 21, and Luffy is 18.


	4. Coming Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part two.

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There were small tickling sensations that felt nice. Feathery light touches gently smoothed his face like short caresses in fear of waking him up.

Somehow, in a sleepy daze, he hears a small chuckle, followed by two other voices whispering with restrained laughter. Then, the smell of ink fills his senses and he could only open his eyes. There is a long pause wherein Ace stares at Sabo who holds a camera in his hand and Luffy who has multiple markers on his own.

Ace starts. "What the hell—"

"Run Luf!"

Both Luffy and Sabo scramble away as Ace stands up, automatically responding by chasing the two brothers. Loud footsteps and laughter rings around the large apartment for a while, and it ends when Luffy accidentally trips on Sabo who falls to the floor but doesn't forget to drag Ace down when he crashes on them. The three lay sprawled on the wooden floor, laughing in a mess of limbs, sweat, and wild hair.

In a fine day such as this, where the sun shines in the partly cloudy sky and people were happy, the world glows with positivity. It isn't a huge difference from the activities a few weeks before. Families, couples, and many people in general were simply happy to be in the presence of their important ones in celebration of a world known tradition.

But Ace immediately smacks Sabo's head and pinches Luffy's nose.

Naturally, the two respond with yelps and whines underneath the bulky weight of the freckled male. Still, no matter how playful their pranks get, the colourful ink carefully drawn on his face is one that never gets old.

Ace narrows his eyes when Luffy starts snorting and Sabo, unable to keep a frown, bursts out laughing again. He doesn't laugh. After all, a bunch of colourful marks are hard to clean— which could be permanent for all he knows!

A pair of hands trace the uneven lines on his nose and freckles, which Ace identifies as Sabo's. "You look good, Ace," he cheekily says with slight difficulty. However, Ace isn't sympathetic despite the fact that Sabo is underneath him and Luffy.

An urge to bite the other's nose is replaced by a distraction thanks to Luffy's wiggling, which needs to stop because _it's not exactly producing a good reaction_. Ace lifts himself up with a grimace, still trapping the two underneath his arms. Luffy looks at him with a bright smile while Sabo smirks at him knowingly.

"Why do I put up with you two?" Ace asks, more to himself than to them, with a blank look on his face.

"You love us," Sabo's stupid little smirk grows and Ace faintly hears Luffy chuckling. He can't stop the heat rushing to his face and body when Sabo runs a hand down his chest.

Looks like it's one of those nights, Ace thinks with a sigh and a shake of his head.

Ace stands up, helping the other two up as well, but he pushes them into the living area where the bouquet and the box remained on the coffee table. With a careful look, Ace sees Luffy's eyes widen, and he smiles fondly when the younger finally recognises the logo on the box.

"You got me one of Sanji's cakes?!" Luffy makes a beeline for the innocent box, but Ace catches him by the back of his collar with a tut.

"No, it's for all of us, you idiot," he says, noticing Sabo who picks up the bouquet and smelling them. He gives the other a smile, not affected by Luffy's vain struggles against his hold. Sabo looks at him with widening eyes and slaps a hand on his forehead in realisation. He laughs loudly when Sabo turns around and punches his shoulder with a red face. It's when Luffy stops struggling and looks at Sabo questioning why he punched Ace.

"This smart-ass remembers, that's why!" Sabo accusingly points a finger at Ace's face. Luffy only tilts his head to the side and looks to him for answers, but Ace only plucks a white carnation out of the bouquet and tucks it on Luffy's earlobe with a fond smirk.

"Happy White day."

And later on, when the moon shone through the window of their shared bedroom, Ace looked at the two who held his heart, sleeping and comfortable, thinking of how much he truly appreciated them.

And he did.

Today was just a reminder of how their lives truly became better. If the day itself wasn't indication enough— as an annual celebration not only to their country but to them as three halves of a whole— then the silver rings he gave, hanging on their chests certainly were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this scene, Ace and Sabo are 21 while Luffy is 18.


	5. Oven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not going to lie, I've been so busy with my classes because of finals preparations. So I hope I'm forgiven with a long chapter.
> 
> This one was supposed to be uploaded on March 20th.

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Waking up is probably the best part of every day spent with his two brothers. Luffy absolutely loves it when either Sabo or Ace come to wake him up for breakfast because he's given a chance to pull them into bed and beg them to stay for a few more minutes. In most cases, Sabo can never resist his pleads and often stays to cuddle until Ace himself comes to gets them. However, Ace is hard to get through.

 _Which is fine_ , Luffy thinks as he looks down at the sleeping forms of his brothers. He just usually misses out on the pillow fights.

It's 8 o' clock on a chilly Monday morning, where the sun is barely rising over the city buildings and people like them take the opportunity to sleep in. Luffy happily remembers that Ace and Sabo don't have to go to work until the next day, but he finds it weird that he woke up before they did. If either of his brothers were awake, they would certainly agree with him.

Luffy puts a hand under his chin and then brightens up as he remembers what their day is going to be like. Silently he chuckles behind his hand and, with as much grace as he can muster (which is not a lot), gets up carefully from their shared bed— and although it was actually just three beds pushed together, it's still possible to wake up Sabo because _he's a weirdo who gets up at 5:30 in the morning everyday_ without an alarm. It's such a mystery how Sabo slept in!

Luffy successfully gets out of the tangled blankets, incredulously thinking: _And today of all things!_

He wonders if it's because today's _the day_ , or maybe... Sabo and Ace had another one of those Big Brother Discussions where he's never allowed to hear what they talk about!

Surely that's what it is! Luffy looks at the figures hidden beneath the blankets in horror.

_How dare they!_

Luffy straightens himself up, but feels a rumbling sensation in his bowels. He pats his stomach, thinking. And then, a mischievous smile slowly pulls on his lips.

The bed covers move as if bothered by the gesture. But, Luffy could care less as he approaches the headboard and gently lifts the blankets to look at the peaceful faces of his brothers. He then proceeds to climb over their bodies, which is difficult enough in an attempt to keep them asleep but it miraculously works in his favour (only Oda and the gods know why these two are deep in slumber). He carefully sits in the middle, holding on to the headboard to balance himself. Luffy grins at the fact that both of them were facing each other before he settles between their faces.

On another day, Luffy would have left them alone and perhaps gone back to sleep with them. However, his exclusion from their conversation was treachery, therefore, revenge was in order.

Luffy tries not to giggle maniacally as he lifts the blankets back over Ace's and Sabo's heads and carefully puts his legs above the covers before trapping them within.

A small opening provided enough oxygen for his brothers to breathe, but it's also enough space for his butt to squeeze in.

It takes him a few seconds to make sure that his brothers still weren't awake. But once he's sure, Luffy's smile morphs into something evil.

A loud rip in the air sounded throughout their quiet bedroom and Luffy presses his hands on the blanket as hard as he can. Right after the terrible noise, he feels movement underneath the blanket and then it comes.

Luffy tilts his head back to laugh hysterically as Sabo screams underneath while Ace frantically tries to get out of the blanket, cursing loudly. All he could hear were the muffled shouts of _oh my gods Luffy_ and _you fucking shithead_ beneath the covers, before Luffy is shoved away from the pillows. Ace tumbles out of the bed and gracelessly falls to the floor with a loud thud, while Sabo manages to catch himself but almost lands on his butt. Both of them were coughing and gasping as if their lives were seconds away from death.

Luffy cannot help the sudden laughter that bubbled out of his throat and keeps on laughing when Ace stands up, murder evident in his glaring. Sabo remains on the floor with a similar expression.

"Luffy..." Ace started. Luffy doesn't notice and continues laughing, unaware of the danger he's put himself under.

A shadow looms above him and Luffy stops laughing, wiping tears away from his eyes. He freezes at the sight of his eldest brother. Ace, in all his wild, unruly hair, slight chin stubble, and narrow eyes, stands over Luffy looking like he's moments away from committing murder. Luffy lets out a small whimper when the scowl on Ace's face turns into a chilly smile.

Sabo watches with satisfaction as Ace locks Luffy's head with his arms and wrestles him into the bed, ignoring the loud screaming that everyone in their apartment complex has surely gotten used to by now. A small smile grows on his face when Luffy calls out for him in a pathetic whimper with an outstretched arm grasping at air. _Idiot_ , he thinks fondly before standing and walking up to the two still making a mess on the bed. Sabo grins at Luffy who notices him, who probably thinks that he's getting saved.

But, the man only cracks his knuckles and jumps on top of them, joining the wrestling. Luffy's screaming becomes louder with his additional weight and Ace only grunts before making room to let Sabo get his turn.

Ace's murderous expression eventually softens to an amused smile when he observes Sabo mercilessly tickling Luffy, whose screaming turns to noisy laughter and snorting. It's so contagious that Ace could not hold in his chuckles at the sight of Luffy starting to get hiccups. He pats Sabo's back when the other leans back to look at the bundle of mess that is their little brother. They share a grin, finally satisfied that they got the upper hand.

Luffy on the other hand groans pitifully when he realises that his body isn't likely going to move for at least a few minutes. He only glares and pouts up at his two older brothers, rubbing at his arms and swollen cheeks that Ace pinched during their scuffle. Sabo sticks his tongue out at him while Ace laughs.

"That's what you get for farting on us, Lu!" Sabo grins, ruffling Luffy's already messy hair.

"Seriously, though, what the hell was that for anyway?" Ace plops down beside Luffy, who tries to turn and face him but only whines at the pain involved with the effort. Deciding to be nicer this time, Ace pulls the smaller one to his chest and smiles at Sabo who lays down behind Luffy.

"You guys were having another one of those big brother conversations without me!" Luffy exclaims and hides his face in Ace's shirt. He refuses to budge when Sabo tugs his body back.

Sabo only rolls his eyes and props his head up on his arm, tugging harder which causes Luffy to fall back on the bed with a yelp. "No, you moron, we weren't having one of those talks. We were talking about what to eat and what else we're gonna do for today," he smiles and wraps an arm around Luffy's waist. "And besides, you're the youngest so you can't really be a part of it anyway!"

However, Luffy freezes at that, remembering his previous thoughts. He screams and sits up, almost elbowing Sabo and almost slapping Ace in the face. "No, you guys were supposed to be asleep!" He exclaims, pointing a finger at Sabo with frenzied eyes.

Sabo only raises his eyebrow and asks, "Why?"

"B-Because..." Luffy trails off and fiddles with the hem of his shirt. A hand grabs his and Luffy looks up to see that Ace is smirking at him.

"Why is it that you wanted us to stay asleep, huh?"

Luffy hesitates before looking away, lips forming a pout, and sweats. "B-Because I was being nice and wanted to let you get more sleep..."

Ace and Sabo instantly whacks his head, both shouting, "You didn't do that when you woke us up, you idiot!"

Luffy groans out a complaint and holds the comical bumps on his head, rolling around to express his pain. But, he stops and sobers up when he finds that Ace and Sabo were still waiting for his true answer. A childish pout appears on his face now, grudgingly mumbling out a response.

"What did you say?" Ace leans in to hear him better, but Sabo quirks up in interest.

Luffy mumbles a little louder, but they still couldn't understand his words. Sabo snickers and asks again, "What did you say, Luffy?"

"Yeah, Luf, what'd you say?"

Fed up, Luffy shouts out, "I said that I wanted to make you breakfast because it's your birthday today, Sabo!" He grumbles, absolutely refusing to look at his brothers.

Ace begins to laugh while Sabo lets out a gasp, falling on top of Luffy.

"So you wanted to make me breakfast?! That's so nice of you Luffy!" Sabo laughs at the obvious annoyance that Luffy is exhibiting. Luffy crosses his arms and turns his face away with a huff.

"I wouldn't trust him to do that since he'll probably end up setting the kitchen on fire!" Ace cackles, but falls out of the bed when Luffy's leg shoots out to kick him. He lands on his side with an _oof_. Sabo continues to hug Luffy, cooing at the smaller boy who tries his best to shove his annoying older brother away complaining that _just because it's your birthday today doesn't mean a single thing!_

The laughing doesn't stop for a while, and it doesn't go away hours later when the three brothers finally decides to prepare breakfast, shoving and bothering each other in ways that only they know about one another. Even though Luffy always becomes the brunt of their jokes and pranks, in the end, he's happy that he's able to spend the day with just the three of them together on Sabo's birthday.

Later on, the best part was the bright smile Sabo gave to Luffy and Ace when they surprised him with a three layered cake from La Baratie to end their night. (Although, he would be lying if he said he didn't eat more than half of the same cake; but not without the resulting fight breaking out.)

And when they finally turned in for the night, Luffy opens his eyes after he's sure that both Ace and Sabo are asleep, smiling in private as he observes how Sabo gets to sleep in the middle this time and how Ace drools on a few locks of Sabo's hair. Gently kissing Sabo's cheek, Luffy nuzzles his face into Sabo's arm and falls asleep to the soft snores and warmth coming from both of his beloved ones, knowing that he'll wake up next to them the morning after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this scene, Luffy is 18 while Ace and Sabo are 21.


	6. Remembrance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Once again, I've taken such a long time to upload a new chapter. Mostly just because I've been running out of inspiration and of course, I've been busy too. Hopefully this longer chapter can make up for it!

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Red seems to be a dominant colour alright. Everywhere he looks, there's always something that makes him want to close his eyes and sigh in exasperation. Ace doesn't know why he's only noticing it now. It just happens to remind him a lot about Luffy. Maybe it's in the same way he sees blue being associated with Sabo, or Marco somehow with cyan, or even his pops Edward with, well, white.

As he lounges casually on the couch with loud chatter and laughter from his coworkers, Ace can't help but notice how much of the colour red he is surrounded with; from the fire trucks to the kitchen tables, to the fire department's logo to his and Luffy's numerous clothing items— Ace shakes his head and wonders why he hasn't even noticed.

And yet, he can't see himself without such a colour. Red is such a vibrant hue, important to the creation of visible light and primary to the range of colours. He's seen it from the moment he opened his eyes as a baby, and hasn't ever strayed too far from it. It reminds him of love, passion, excitement, energy, annoyance, anger, and all at the same time, the image of Luffy's smile imbedded in his consciousness like a rash that never goes away.

Ace pauses in his musings to blink and shake the thought away. Absentmindedly, he scratches at his cheek and looks around as if someone knows what he's thinking about.

( _He can only thank the skies that Sabo isn't there because he would've read him like an open book._ )

" _But I digress,_ " thinks Ace as he stands up to stretch his back muscles.

No, Luffy's presence isn't like a rash. He's like the flow of blood in his veins, constant and active in necessity. He's like an internal current that no being in the universe would be able to live without. The centre of so many things beyond the boy's limited knowledge and short attention span; one who always looks ahead and never looks back. But most of all, Ace thinks as he smiles fondly at the wallpaper on his phone, Luffy is his little brother.

There is a loud snort that startles him half to death and before he knows it, his phone is snatched away by none other than his friend Thatch. Ace's heart drops to his stomach, and he rushes to get his phone back.

"Hey, give it back, you stupid greaser!"

Thatch only laughs and holds it high above his head while his other hand pushes Ace's head away, looking at the phone at the same time. Luffy sits at the centre of the picture with an open grin and a hand out towards the photographer, Ace, as if he's calling out for the latter. Behind is Sabo, hugging him from behind with a teasing grin.

Ace only growls when Thatch coos at the picture, not noticing Marco coming over to look at the phone.

"Well jeez, Ace, had we known about how adorable your little brother is, we wouldn't have made so many jokes about him!" Thatch laughs and allows Marco to take the phone away from his hand, but he holds on to Ace who lunges for the phone. "Ah, ah, no sir! Marco's gotta see how your infamous little brother looks like," Ace hears Thatch chirps as a matter of factly, no doubt with a shit eating grin, but he tries to get the phone nonetheless.

"Oh, well then. I could see how Ace has a brother complex with someone like Luffy," Marco offhandedly says, letting Ace grab the phone out of his hand. He only chuckles when Ace clutches onto the phone possessively.

Ace only makes a face at them and composes himself. "I don't have a complex, you dumbasses!"

He smacks Thatch's and Marco's heads when they reply with a unified hum of agreement, which practically screams out, " _I don't believe a single shit you say, Ace._ "

But there isn't a way for Ace to describe his bond with Luffy, nor can he explain his with Sabo's. The way they just blend together is something that goes beyond words. Ace looks at his phone with a slightly concerned expression.

"I," Ace starts, "I really can't help how fond I am of my little brother. He's just.."

"He has you wrapped around his little pinky finger, just like he has your brother Sabo, huh?" Thatch teases, wrapping an arm around Ace's shoulder. Marco only chuckles, knowing that it's not the case, but it's much more complicated yet simple at the same time.

"Thatch, I swear to god, I'm going to rip your pompadour off your fucking head—" Ace snarls, elbowing the older man on the ribs.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't touch the hair, it's my prized possession!" Thatch complains, futilely trying to cover his hair with his arms and hands. Behind him, Marco only ruffles the hair on back of his head with a smirk.

"How about you let little Acey over here explain what he's been smiling about for the past few hours, Thatch?" Marco chuckles and gestures for Ace to continue.

Ace shakes his head with a smile. "Anyway, I'm not clingy to my brothers at all. That's just not how we work," he sighs, walking to the kitchen counter to open a can of cola. "It's kind of like how you guys smile at the little things that remind you of your siblings. Or us. Like how you guys sometimes smile when you see me pass out randomly— no, don't deny it, Thatch, I know you do."

Marco cackles when Thatch lifts a finger up as if to correct Ace but deflates at the interruption. Ace only smirks and continues.

"Me, Luffy, and Sabo, we... we bonded knowing that even if we're separated, we'll always see each other again some day. We'll always remember through the little things we know about each other. We're always gonna be brothers," Ace pauses for a moment to take a sip of his drink. "We promised. Luffy and I. We made sure we'd always remember."

At this point, Thatch stays quiet with Marco, both digesting this information with interest. Marco sits on the stool, propping his elbow up on the counter and chin in his palm.

"I just remembered Luffy because of how much the colour red reminds me of him."

Ace remains silent, looking at the beads of perspiration forming on the cold metal of the can. Even the can is red.

On his right, Thatch lets out an impressed noise.

"Could you lighten up a little bit? This stuff is getting too deep and sentimental; it's almost like our Ace isn't even here anymore!" He grins jokingly, nudging the man's shoulder with his own. Ace chuckles and swats at the hand trying to take his beverage.

Meanwhile, Marco smiles behind them, watching Ace with a new light in his eyes.

He knows that the bond Ace has with them, the Whitebeards, is something that could never reach the level he has with his two brothers. It's one thing to hear about it from their pops, but it's another to actually hear it from Ace himself. And it seems like not even he has the words to describe his undying faith and loyalty to his brothers.

What makes Marco feel at awe is the fact that Ace could very well go off on his own for a long time without seeing either Luffy or Sabo and still be able to handle the emotional pressure that comes with separation. It's a decision that perfectly describes Ace, and from what he has already heard from him, Sabo and Luffy are the exact same way.

And so, Marco takes another look at the photo on Ace's phone background when it lights up from a notification showing Luffy texted Ace. He chuckles and glances up, seeing Ace and Thatch bickering back and forth. He winks at Thatch who catches his gaze before pulling Ace in a headlock and rubs his knuckles on the man's scalp. Ace squawks, almost dropping his drink, and struggles in the tight hold with colourful curses and insults that attract the attention of other crew members near them.

"You're such a softie, you big baby."

"What the hell, Marco, let go!"

Bouts of laughter ring throughout the room, as many of the Whitebeard crewmen make fun of Ace in his predicament.

 

Ace also knows that his relationship with the Whitebeards aren't as deep as the one he held with Sabo and Luffy. But, a family is still a family; and he considers this, his life with the Whitebeards, something he can cherish forever. They're a family too, and that's what matters to him the most.

Even if Ace does indeed separate from his brothers, they'll always have each other. It's a possibility that seems a little farfetched, so all he can do is focus on the present— on what he currently has with him; the constant presences of his sworn brothers, and his foster family full of misfits.

It's a life that Ace has the pleasure of describing as perfect, throughout all the imperfections and tribulations. Ace certainly owes it to his youngest brother, the one who taught him how to love again, the one who promised with him of a live without regrets.

As he tries to struggle in the headlock, Ace is once again reminded of Luffy, of the times when it was just them in the same position during countless times. And as he enjoys the company of his family here, his own separate brothers and sisters, he couldn't help but love Luffy a little more for being his accidental guiding light.

Maybe Thatch wasn't entirely wrong about his joke after all.

 

.

.

.

 

On the table sits an innocent phone, vibrating four more times, with cheesy images of Luffy's self taken photos and a few texts reminding Ace that he loves him too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this scene, Ace is 22 while Luffy is 19.


End file.
